Good Girl
by Gothic984
Summary: Lucas continues with his torture of Selena, while Gail surprisingly assists.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from No Way Back.

It was a late July evening in Trinity South Carolina. Although the sun had set giving way to the darkness, the temperature was still at an all time high and the towns residents were struggling to keep cool. A storm had been in full swing for the better part of an hour, forcing most residents in doors for the night and leaving the streets bare.

Rain crashed violently against the open window of Selena Coombs' home, while she stood staring blankly at the world outside. Since her 'accident' she had taken to coming straight home after school and wallowing in her own self pity, before her lover returned home from his shift at Juniper House and she was expected to play the dutiful girlfriend. The routine was beginning to get tedious; however, he was the only constant loyal thing she had left and she needed someone to be with her right now.

Selena did not believe she was a bad person, all she had ever wanted to do in life was to gain the approval of the man she truly loved. Not only had her love married someone else and washed his hands of her, he had taken away any chance of her being able to have her own family. She had never considered herself being a Mother, she had never planned her life that far ahead; however, now that the option was taken away from her, all she could think about was what might have been.

The act that Lucas had so clearly instigated was a betrayal of the biggest kind, she had not deserved this fate after all the years she had remained loyal to him and it had left her feeling empty. As if being alienated from her Father due to the things she did for Lucas had not been bad enough, but to remove her ability to ever have a child of her own? She had always believed she was the right person to remain by his side, she would have done anything for him including carrying a child for him; however, that ship had sailed and all that was left was anger.

A crash of thunder bellowed overhead and it jolted Selena out of her thoughts, when she glanced outside she saw a shadow stood across the street from her property watching her. She stared at the unidentifiable figure cautiously, knowing exactly who it was. Lucas appeared to want to make his presence known, which never boded well for the objects of his games and she had bore witness to this play many times before.

Selena took a slow step back from the window, not taking her eyes off of the figure across the street. Billy would be home any minute now and all she had to do was get through until he returned to her, as Lucas would not attempt to do something in front of his so called friend. She continued to back up into the living room area and closed the door quickly, feeling better with the figure out of her vision.

She was fine, this was nothing and she was just being silly. She repeated the words over and over again in her head, in an attempt to make them stick; however, if she truly believed she was fine, why were the hairs on her arms standing on end and why could she not stop shivering even though the heat was nearly unbearable?

Selena took a deep breath as she felt her back touch the wall and continued to watch the only door that provided access to this room. When nothing happened for a few minutes, Selena let out a sigh of relief and allowed herself to relax a little. Suddenly the window to her left opened quickly, then a strong hand grabbed her by the neck and pulled her out into the garden. She was thrown roughly onto the wet, muddy floor as the rain bore down on her and thunder crashed loudly overhead.

Without a second thought, Selena instinctively jumped up and ran down her driveway to get away from her attacker. She turned her head when she was nearly out into the open street and saw the grim smile of the dark figure slowly following her. As she turned back towards the street she was struck hard by Billy Peele's large brown truck and crashed down to the ground broken.

* * *

Lucas smiled when his twin returned back to him, then leaned his head back and let out a loud moan. The soft lips wrapped around his hard manhood had made it difficult for him to concentrate; however, he had completed his intended action and he called out as his climax hit suddenly.

'And what would that action be?' Gail asked curiously, when she released his manhood from her mouth and licked his residue off of her lips. 'I hope it involved your tongue meeting a certain part of my anatomy'

Lucas pulled her to him and kissed her passionately, before spinning her around on the bed and moving down between her legs. 'You think I'd allow you to have all the fun Mrs Buck?' he asked seductively, then pushed his tongue inside of her and began making patterns.

Gail sensed something within her trying to get her attention. Although he had been with her when she was servicing him, she had noticed a change in him for a few moments and part of her was curious as to why. She suspected he had been up to something, especially when he had been tense for a few minutes then his whole body relaxed just before his climax.

A large surge of pleasure burst through her when he began to suck and tease her with his tongue, this caused her to push away the intrusion within herself that was trying to get her attention and focused solely on him.

Lucas sensed her mind wander for a moment, then smiled when she returned back to him. It was hard keeping his extracurricular activities hidden now that she had accepted her true self; however, he was always up for a challenge and it just made distracting her all the more fun.

When she called out his name, Lucas pulled himself away from her sweet spot and kissed her soft skin as he moved slowly up to her lips. He kissed her passionately for a few minutes, then parted her legs with ease and pushed his hard manhood inside of her. He kept his movements slow and savoured her sweet spot closing in around him, then a flash of Selena laying broken on the sidewalk surged through his mind and his thrusts became harder.

Gail was relieved when his movements became more vigorous. She had discovered that allowing herself to give in to her true feelings for him caused her to relax into an accepting state and she could not afford that when she was still struggling to control her homicidal urges. What she truly desired to do to certain people she knew was unacceptable and she yearned to be punished; therefore, when she sensed his focus change and he began to take her with an increased force, she dug her nails into his back deep and scratched him hard to draw blood.

The feel of her claws scraping down his back so roughly tapped into his dark side and Lucas allowed himself to release some of the rage he kept buried deep down. As it came over him he increased his force, pounding in and out of her vigorously and started to pull back when he heard her pained moans.

Gail felt him start to slow and sunk her teeth into his neck, she bit down hard then smiled when his pace picked up again. When his hand gripped her neck tight, she did not fight and allowed him to squeeze her tight. The air coming into her body lessened; however, she still used all of her strength to claw at his back and tried to stifle her pained moans.

Lucas tightened the grip around her neck when she did not fight and continued to pound in and out of her roughly. He had attempted to make their unions softer since the wedding; however, their entanglement always seemed to end up like this and who was he to stop her from being punished if that was what she truly wanted?

Gail struggled to breath as his hand closed around her neck tighter, but she would not yield. Suddenly her climax hit violently and she heard him call out her name as he exploded within her.

Lucas released her neck as soon as their orgasms came together, then softly licked and kissed the skin around her neck that was glowing pink from the force of his grip. As he pulled out of her and heard his love wince in pain, he let out a sigh of disappointment in himself and stroked her sweet spot gently. 'Not that I'm complainin' about our unions and all, but one day this may go too far' he warned, then began sucking her breasts gently.

Gail let out an aroused breath and smiled at the pain she was feeling between her legs. 'Maybe that's what I want, death by pleasure' she mocked, not wanting to talk about how she really felt.

Lucas released her breast and laughed, then brought his lips to hers for a passionate kiss. 'If that's what you want, I might just grant your wish one day' he joked, when they pulled away from their embrace.

'I might just let you' she laughed, then let out an exasperated sigh when Luke started to cry in his crib and got out of bed.

* * *

Matt smiled as he exited the hospital after a long shift, M was sat outside waiting for him and he was looking forward to a quiet night without Lucy. Matt had never thought he would get the chance to form such a close bond with another child, after the death of his Claire and although he did not like being away from Lucy, he knew she was in good hands and he was looking forward to having M all to himself.

Merlyn sensed Matt approaching and got up from her seated position on the hospital steps. She was excited that they were finally getting some real alone time together tonight and felt an urgency to rush away from here with her companion.

'Was Abe alright having Lucy? I feel a little bad dropping a toddler on an old man with such short notice' he advised, as he linked her arm in his and they began walking towards the bus stop in front of the hospital.

'Abe is trusted with Luke all the time, he likes havin' the company even if he won't admit it' she laughed, then let out a long breath when Matt stroked his fingers down her bare arm.

Matt had let go of his concern over showing M affection in public, after Gail had took him out for dinner to inform him of Christie's departure from town. Although his best friend was very protective of M, she had given her blessing for him to pursue a relationship with her as long as he ensured that he did not hurt her. The conversation had been awkward and had come out of nowhere; however, he trusted Gail and knew she had both of their best interests at heart.

Now that he felt able to show his true feelings, he did not want to screw it up and he sensed M was ready for something real. 'Let's go somewhere up town, I want to show you off and treat you to a nice dinner' he smiled , as he pulled her close.

Merlyn stroked her chin in mock consideration, then stopped and turned towards him. 'I say we go straight to your place and I can do a little showing off there' she teased, unlike herself and laughed when Matt's jaw dropped open.

Before Matt could muster up a response, Billy Peele's truck sped down the road and pulled up in front of the hospital entrance. Billy jumped out and called for Matt with urgency when he spotted his presence, then carefully took Selena's limp body in his arms and pulled her out of the truck. Matt turned towards M, who just rolled her eyes and signalled for him to go to Billy, then rushed towards the man to see how he could help.

Merlyn spotted a dark shadow at the back of Billy's truck and let out a long frustrated sigh, this had Lucas Buck written all over it and once again he had ruined her plans for a normal night.

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

Gail was awoken by a quiet knock on the bedroom door and rolled over onto her back, trying to remove Lucas' arm from around her stomach and ignoring the twinge of pain from between her legs due to the previous nights activities. She rubbed her tired eyes in an attempt to make her vision clear and tried to get out of the bed discreetly, to establish what the interruption was for; however, it was proving difficult to get free of her lovers grasp.

Lucas tightened his grip on her and pulled her back into him, not allowing her to sneak away from him. He had agreed to call it quits late last night when Luke had interrupted their fun; however, he was now ready for round two and would not let her escape that easily.

'Gail?' Caleb called quietly and knocked on the door a little harder.

Gail turned and glanced at Lucas, who just placed his finger on her lips to silence her, then she quickly reached for Luke's stuffed elephant and threw it at the door to alert Caleb that they were awake.

Lucas heard the dull thud and shook his head disapprovingly at the realisation of her spoiling his fun. 'You will pay for that later Mrs Buck' he warned, as he pulled the quilt over his naked body.

'I wouldn't have it any other way, Master Buck' she teased, then sat up and pulled her nightdress down when Caleb sneaked into the room quietly and placed himself down on her side of the bed.

'It's the school' he whispered, not wanting to wake Luke and handed over her mobile telephone. 'They wanna to talk to you'

Gail glanced at him confused for a moment and when he just shrugged back at her, she took the telephone off of him and leaned back on the headboard casually.

Lucas winked playfully at Caleb while Gail was on the telephone, knowing exactly what was going on. He smiled when Caleb cottoned on and they both waited patiently for her to finish.

'Selena's been in another accident' Gail said in disbelief, then stared at Lucas suspiciously.

'So no school?' Caleb asked excitedly.

'You can't go to school without a Teacher son' Lucas advised, amused at Caleb's lack of immediate concern for Selena.

Gail watched them both carefully before attempting to get out of bed, then was dragged back down by Lucas. She was still not fully awake and she did not have the strength to fight him off at this moment in time.

Lucas did not care that Caleb was present, he forced his love down on the bed and kissed her passionately. 'Looks like we've got a family day ahead of us, who'd of thought it?' he smiled mischievously.

Gail let out a long exasperated sigh, then pushed Lucas off of her so she could go and check on Luke.

Caleb jumped up excitedly and then ran out of the bedroom to start getting ready, closing the door as he left.

'And who do you think will have to cover the story of yet another accident to our favourite Teacher?' she asked sarcastically, as she leaned over Luke's crib and was surprised to see him still asleep.

'Well it ain't gonna be my wife, as she's otherwise disposed' Lucas smiled, as he came up behind her then pulled her back down onto the bed and brought his lips to hers.

* * *

Billy stood staring out of the hospital window, while Selena lay asleep. She had been in tremendous pain last night and he had convinced the Nurse to allow him to authorise her pain killers. Matt Crower would not approve of the dose he had allowed her of morphine, to enable her to sleep; however, right now he really did not care.

He had witnessed the look in Selena's eyes when she ran out in front of his truck, she had been terrified. Selena was not usually clumsy and she was one of the strongest women he knew, she had been running and whatever she believed was chasing her had disappeared by the time he had been able to check the house. It was hard enough trying to be there for her after the news that she could not have children, this incident would only bring further obstacles to there relationship and Billy did not know what to do.

Billy had managed to have a good run in Trinity, which was surprising considering how everything had started when he first arrived here. He had been dead against Lucas Buck, had believed the man to be no more than a well groomed hick and had been convinced he wanted Selena all to himself. Now he was close friends with the man and he had landed him a cushy job as Head Doctor of Juniper house, it may not be how he had seen his future going; however, it was the cards he had been dealt and he did not understand why bad things appeared to be happening now.

First Christie left, who he had been more than fond of and now these incidents with Selena. It appeared his good luck had run out and now he was stuck with a broken shell of a girlfriend.

The sound of his mobile telephone ringing caught his attention and he stared suspiciously at the caller ID for a moment, before finally picking up. 'Gail?' he asked curiously, surprised that her name had flashed up on his phone.

'3rd turn after Johnson's Bridge, bring your rod' Lucas ordered, then hung up the telephone.

Billy stared at the telephone for a moment, then turned towards Selena who was still out cold from the amount of drugs he had given her. He could not leave her all alone, she was all he had. As he went to her beside and started to sit down, his mobile telephone rang again and he answered it abruptly. 'I can't just...' he started.

'Grab a bottle of Prosecco and some Beers on your way down, my treat' Gail said warmly, then hung up the telephone.

Billy stood with his mobile telephone in one hand and the other hand on the chair next to Selena's bed. He was about to sit down when he thought of Gail's sweet voice, they had not been friends in a long time and she sounded as though she expected him to meet up just like old times.

He thought about his options for a moment, then his telephone beeped and he opened the media message to see Gail holding a large meatball sub and pulling her tongue out playfully at the camera. The caption below it read: This sandwich wont remain untouched for long!

Billy let out a long sigh, then checked his mobile telephone when it beeped again. This time Gail was hunched down with Rocky, holding the sandwich just inches from the dogs drooling mouth and he felt a small smile come over his lips. He allowed Selena one last concerned glance, before he headed out of the room and down the corridor towards his truck.

* * *

Lucas was laying on his car bonnet with his back against the windscreen and his arms wrapped around Gail, as she leaned back into his chest. They both watched as Caleb and Ben Jr played in the river, while Luke and Izzy sat peacefully in their buggys under the shade of a large tree with Abe on a lounger beside them.

They had picked up Izzy after Lucas had given Ben the day off, to provide Ben with some alone time with Rita. They had convinced him to allow them to take Ben Jr out of school, so Caleb had some company and brought the dogs along for the ride. Gideon lay in front of the babies, ensuring they were well guarded from any stray resident that happened to wander close to this secluded spot and Rocky played in the water with the older boys.

Gail watched as the children played happily, then inhaled deeply and allowed herself to relax further into Lucas. She had not expected to enjoy this time together and had been waiting for some ulterior motive for being dragged out here; however, she had been pleasantly surprised and Lucas appeared content just being with his family.

'Have I ever given you any reason to suspect that I wouldn't be?' Lucas asked calmly, reading her mind.

Gail cursed herself for leaving her thoughts unguarded and exhaled deeply. The one constant with Lucas Buck was his obsession with his family and she could never deny his commitment to his children. 'Goading me into convincing Billy to leave Selena was very cold, you know that right?' she asked, changing the subject.

'Goading me into allowing Izzy and Ben Jr to intrude on our quality family time wasn't a great move either Darlin', but you don't see me complainin'' he said, as he wrapped his arms around her tighter and nuzzled his nose into her neck.

Gail let out a small laugh and allowed him access to her, she knew he was up to something and her old self be bothered about being goaded into helping him impose some misery onto some poor soul; however, the new her could not give a damn about what he had planned when Billy got here, or what happened to Selena as long as it did not impact her family.

Suddenly she heard her Fathers laughter from all around her and her body tensed, she glanced around the area expecting to see Peter Emory leaning against some tree close by; however, he was nowhere to be found. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard in an attempt to block out the laughter, when she felt Lucas' hand stroking her head the laughter stopped and she let out a sigh of relief.

'Care to fill me in on your demons love?' He asked curiously, unsure of what had spooked her but sensing it was to do with her recent change.

Gail shook her head and slid off the car, free of his grasp. 'I'd love to sweetheart, but your friend has arrived' she advised sarcastically and strolled towards Abe when Billy's truck pulled up.

* * *

Selena awoke in the cold hospital room all alone, wondering what was going on. She remembered Billy bringing her here and being examined, then feeling faint and passing out; however, she had no concept of how long she had been here or why there was no one here with her.

A Nurse walked past the door and Selena called out to get her attention. When the pretty young blonde Nurse smiled falsely at her, she stared back unimpressed and pulled herself up to a seating position painfully. 'Where's my Doctor? or Billy Peele?' she snapped.

The Nurse moved to the bottom of the bed and picked up her chart. 'Well you're assigned Doctor Cunningham and she's been called out of the office for a few hours' the Nurse said sweetly.

'And Billy Peele?' Selena asked irritated.

'That handsome man was here for a little while, then he just left without sayin' a word...Why don't you just lie back and get some rest, I'm sure your people will return soon' the Nurse advised, then left her alone in the room and closed the door behind her.

Selena stared around the room quickly to ensure that she was definitely alone, then lay back down in the bed and tried to convince herself that she had not been abandoned here to rot on her own.

* * *

Lucas stood on the riverbank with Billy and opened another Beer, he had sensed as soon as Selena had woken up and wanted her to stew there on her own. Trying to get Billy here was only a spare of the moment decision and he had not believed the man would actually leave his beloved, then he remembered how smitten he previously was with Gail and a new plan began to form.

Gail had stripped down to a thin vest and her panties, to enable her more freedom when she decided to take Luke into the water with her. She was being very careful to keep his boy safe and was just giving him enough room to dangle his toes into the river, to experience the sensation of the river. She truly looked at ease with their son and her natural nurturing nature was a sight to behold.

He watched as Billy could not take his eyes off of her and smiled. 'She really is beautiful isn't she?' Lucas asked, while he continued to watch his love spin around in the water playfully laughing with his youngest.

Billy caught himself staring and looked down at the ground, he knew how possessive Lucas was of what he deemed to be his property and had been warned many a time by Ben to not get involved in anything.

Lucas sensed his thoughts and laughed. 'I'm takin' your lack of response to mean that you don't find her and my son beautiful, which I think could be more offensive'

Billy shifted on the spot uncomfortably, then turned towards Lucas and caught the amusement on his face. 'Ah come on man, my girl is in the hospital and you wanna bust my balls like this?' he asked in disbelief and took a long sip of his Beer.

'I ain't bustin' anythin' friend, it was just a question' Lucas shrugged, then reached into the cooler for another Beer for them both.

Billy watched Gail again, as the sun glistened off the drops of water on her skin and remembered how it felt to taste her lips on his. 'She is stunning, even more so in this setting' he stated honestly and nodded his thanks when Lucas handed him the Beer.

'Yeah, children really are a gift and she's amazing with ours...How's Selena doin' with her tragic news?' he asked, feigning concern.

Billy inhaled deeply and shook his head. 'She's a mess, she's pretending nothing's bothering her then she races out in front of my truck and ends up in the hospital again...I don't know what to do' he shrugged and started to down his Beer.

'You just let go' Gail advised, as she exited the water and reached for her glass of Prosecco that Lucas had placed near.

'Let go of what?' Billy asked confused, trying not to stare at her soaking barely clothed body.

'Life' she said with a smile after handing Luke to Lucas and downing her drink, then took Billy's hand and led him into the river.

Lucas held Luke close and stared possessively at Gail, his rage suddenly surged through him and he was about to release his twin, when Gail turned around and shot him a playful wink.

Abe came up behind Lucas and placed a stern hand on his shoulder. 'Stand down Soldier, you can't bring a wildflower out here and expect her to remain tied down' he advised, then took Luke from Lucas carefully and went back towards the other children who had settled a bit further down the riverbank.

Without a second thought, Lucas took off his shirt and pants then waded into the water. It did not take him long to reach the pair, who had stopped where the water started to get deep and appeared deep in conversation. When he came close, Gail grabbed his shoulders and pushed him hard under the water. As he bounced back up and shook out his soaked hair, both Billy and Gail were laughing hysterically.

'Looks like I win' she smiled at Billy and Lucas looked at them both confused.

'She bet me that you'd follow us, thinking we were having an intimate moment in the river' Billy laughed.

'Is there any other kind?' Lucas asked Gail seductively, as he picked her up in his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Gail allowed Lucas to kiss her passionately for a moment, then turned back towards Billy who remained uncomfortably silent a small distance from them. She had sensed what Lucas was attempting to do to Selena and her new self had decided to get involved in the fun. 'Don't mind this reprobate, he has no manners when it comes to me' she laughed playfully.

Lucas nipped at her bottom lip teasingly and started to carry her away from Billy. He liked her this way, it made him feel at ease and enabled him to relax fully. 'Reprobate? I doubt a girl of your calibre would be seen dead with someone like that' he smiled and gazed at her affectionately.

Gail sensed his guard lower as his whole body relaxed and smiled sweetly to hide her cunning. 'Well you know what they say about good girl's and bad boys' she teased, then clawed her nails down his back playfully.

Lucas let out a quiet moan and felt his manhood harden, this was not the time or place for this kind of behaviour; however, he could never control his urges when it came to her. Before he had a chance to answer her comment and act on his urges, a flood of water came over his head and he turned around towards the disturbance.

Caleb had witnessed the adults wade into the water and was not happy he was being kept out of the fun; therefore, he had left Abe with the babies and convinced Ben Jr to follow him back into the river. The boys had paired up together and managed to splash the water hard so it went all over Lucas.

Gail pushed free of Lucas when the kids teamed up against him to have a water fight. She swam over to Billy when she saw him looking dejected and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, then brought her lips to his ears. 'Let it all go...' she whispered soothingly, '...the Billy I used to know wouldn't have allowed himself to get this damn serious'

Billy inhaled her scent and felt a warmness flow through him at her touch, before he had a chance to reply to her comment she pushed him away from her playfully and he was dove upon by Caleb and Ben Jr.

-To be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

Merlyn sat in the Trinity General Library, sifting through a book on the Bermuda Triangle. Her cousin had tasked her with some light reading to open up her mind, stating she had become too domesticated of late to be of any use as her apprentice. Merlyn had obeyed her cousins wishes and had been in the Library most of the day, opting not to join them on their family outing. Now here she was trying to expand her mind, to take her away from her personal frustrations.

Matt stood in the American History aisle, watching M discreetly. He had been assigned to Selena Coombs after the accident and had expected to be on shift most of the day tending to her needs; however, his boss Doctor Charlton had stopped by his office to inform him that another Doctor had been assigned his patient and he was free to leave early.

The visit from Doctor Charlton had been strange; however, he was not about to turn down the opportunity to make up for the cancelled date of the previous night and he just assumed Gail had used her influence, like she had done on certain occasions before. After he finished his duties at the hospital he came straight here as he had been given a message from one of the Nurses about M's whereabouts, presumably left by Gail. He did not have the heart to disturb M when she looked so peacefully in thought and just waited patiently for her to finish.

Merlyn sensed eyes on her and had been ignoring the feeling for half an hour, until it began to interrupt her concentration. She glanced around her immediate vicinity and did not spot the culprit; therefore, she got up from her seated position and walked slowly down the main aisle, suspecting Lucas was trying to play games with her like he used to.

'This ain't funny, I'm busy' she whispered to the air around her, as she kept alert to her surroundings.

Matt smiled when he saw her coming, muttering to herself and grabbed her playfully before she reached him, then pulled her into the American History aisle and pinned her to a bookshelf.

Merlyn was about to call out in surprise, when she saw Matt grinning at her. 'I could've had a heart attack!' she scolded quietly, remembering they were in a Library and not wanting to get thrown out for making too much noise.

'And you would've been in the right hands if you did' Matt said playfully and stroked her shoulders affectionately.

Merlyn laughed and smiled warmly at him, she had not expected him to finish work until late; therefore, this was a pleasant surprise. Before she had chance to answer his comment, Ben wandered into the aisle and Matt took a step back from her.

'Ah hell, I don't even wanna know what I've walked into here' Ben said in an exasperated tone and turned away.

Merlyn stroked Matts arm reassuringly when she saw the look of worry on his face, then turned her attention towards Ben. 'I wouldn't have suspected this to be you usual haunt Deputy' she teased and smiled warmly at Ben.

'Well it ain't, Lucas asked me to come give you folks a ride...I'm assumin' you're about done?' he asked and shot Matt a disapproving look.

Merlyn glanced towards Matt and nodded at Ben, then followed him out. She did not know what was going on, or why Lucas was interfering but she was determined to find out.

* * *

Billy sat at the large table next to Gail, in the most expensive restaurant in town. They had palmed the children off to Abraham and decided to continue with drinks, while they had the chance. His mind started to wander to Selena alone in her hospital bed and the type of partner he was for leaving her in that state, when the feel of Gail's fingers stroking his hand softly brought him back to his current location.

Lucas watched his love carefully, he did not know why she had decided to assist him in this little game or whether she knew exactly what he was up to; however, this new side of her continued to intrigue him and he was curious as to what her play was here. 'More wine Mrs Buck?' he asked reminding her of his presence, as he watched her stroke Billy's hand.

'Always Master Buck' she smiled, as she held up her glass expectantly and winked playfully at him.

Billy shook his head at their undeniable attraction for one an other, they had been together for longer than him and Selena; however, it appeared their desire had not faded at all, if anything it appeared more prominent. He wished his relationship could be as simple as that.

'I wish you'd stop wallowing in your relationship' Gail said frankly, reading his mind and taking a large sip of her wine.

Lucas caught the look of surprise on Billy's face at the fact that Gail knew exactly what he was thinking and stepped in to take the focus off of her. 'What she means is there's plenty more fresh fish in the sea, rather than putting all your energy into a battered one' he explained smugly.

'Is that what I meant?' Gail asked sarcastically and placed her hand on Lucas' knee.

'Well I'm guessing you didn't mean that hearing all about the self pity is boring. I think that might be a little insensitive love' he mocked.

'And insinuating he should leave his broken fish isn't?' Gail asked in mock scorn.

'Not when he's still in his prime and the broken fish hasn't been performin' like she should be...and now she never will' Lucas answered bluntly.

'However, at least the broken fish is familiar and he know's what he's getting. She may not be performing like she should be now, but her inability to follow through with certain life tasks may result in more effort being placed in other acts' Gail offered constructively.

'I'd rather have an unknown workin' fish than a defective familiar one' Lucas shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

'Good to know' Gail laughed and shook her head.

'Will you both stop it!' Billy snapped, then regretted his tone instantly when he saw the wounded look in Gail's eyes.

Gail could not care less about what was happening with Selena; however, this little game they were playing was giving her a welcome distraction from her homicidal thoughts of late and she was happy to be focusing on something else. When Billy snapped, she feigned upset and hid her amusement as his frustration was replaced by concern for her.

Lucas watched as Billy placed a reassuring arm around Gail and smiled at how well she could use her emotions. She was learning, he would give her that; however, he did not know how long he wanted her interfering in his plans, therefore, he had arranged for something else to take her attention. 'Well look what we have here' Lucas said, as his distraction approached them.

Gail smiled at Billy warmly, then turned her attention towards Lucas and followed his eyes. 'This is a surprise' she said, shooting Lucas a disapproving glance then getting up to greet Matt and Merlyn.

Matt gave Gail a big hug and nodded a greeting towards Billy, then looked at Lucas suspiciously as he got up and signalled for them all to sit down.

'Lucas got Ben to bring us here' Merlyn whispered to Gail when they hugged, then sat down next to Matt.

Gail slowly walked back to her seat and stared deep into Lucas' eyes curiously, before they both sat back down next to each other.

'How's Selena?' Matt asked Billy, not expecting to see him away from her bedside.

'Peachy' Gail answered for him, then offered Billy a drink of her wine.

Matt narrowed his eyes at his friends strange behaviour and went to say something, then felt M's hand squeeze his knee.

Merlyn shook her head at Matt, signalling him not to get involved and turned her attention towards Lucas who was watching them with a smug grin on his face. 'Ben said you wanted us here, why?' she asked bluntly.

Lucas smiled when Gail turned towards him curiously, then just wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. 'A little birdie informed me your date was cut short last night due to an unforeseen accident, I thought it'd be a nice treat for you both to experience a proper date' he advised, then nuzzled his nose into Gail's neck and nipped at it playfully.

Gail allowed him to be openly affectionate for a moment, knowing how much his townspeople loved to see the happy couple together and then rolled her eyes at Matt to show him her real feelings. 'It's a little harsh having a joint date when there's someone flying solo, I'm sure we can fix that though' she smiled knowingly, then placed a soft kiss on Lucas' lips and sat back in her chair.

Lucas stared at her suspiciously for a moment, then looked with wide eyes when Christie entered the restaurant and walked casually over to them. Lucas gripped Gail's arm tight and pulled her towards him, running his lips over her ear so not to alert anyone to his anger. 'I thought I told you I removed the object of certain urges you're experiencin' for your own good Darlin'' he whispered, unhappy with this unexpected appearance.

'You know better than to think you can control me that easily sweetheart' she smiled devilishly, then signalled for Christie to pull up a chair beside Billy.

Lucas inhaled deeply to hide his irritation, he did not know how Gail got to Christie in Wilmington or why she was here now; however, he would not lose his temper around a crowded table. 'Now that we all appear to be here, let's eat. I'm starvin'' he forced a smile, then picked up his menu.

* * *

Selena limped around the hospital room impatiently, waiting for anyone to acknowledge her presence. She had lay in bed for hours watching the clock on the wall; however, no Doctor had appeared after her arm and leg had been bandaged up and Billy was nowhere to be seen.

Initially she had been worried about what could have happened to her lover and thoughts had plagued her mind of Lucas eliminating him in some inhumane way; however, then she realised that Lucas punished the people who wronged him and Billy had turned towards his side, which meant he would leave him alone for now. This realisation caused her emotions to change from concern to anger, if Lucas had not done anything to Billy then where was he?

Selena had waited all day for him to check on her and she would wait no longer. Without a second thought, she found the clothes she had been brought in with and changed, then picked up her handbag. She limped slowly out of the room and towards the pay phones at the end of the corridor, then called Juniper House. She knew it was late but maybe he had decided to distract himself with work, to stop himself from worrying about her.

When Selena got through to the receptionist at the front desk, the woman informed her that Billy had not been in the office today and she did not know when he was due to return. Selena felt her anger increase and slammed the telephone down, not caring who saw her. She felt the anger flow through her veins and knew what she had to do; therefore, she limped towards the exit of the hospital, not bothering to check herself out.

* * *

Matt sat with Gail, as Merlyn had gone to the bathroom and watched Christie with Billy. He had been told that Christie had left again and now that she had returned, he was concerned about what was going to happen with Lucy.

'You think I'd let her just rock up and take her away? Have some faith Matt' Gail said reassuringly, sensing his concerns.

'She's turned up out of nowhere Gail, what's going on?' Matt asked worried.

Gail let out a long sigh and reached into her bag. 'Her presence here is nothing to do with you so just forget about it...Your beautiful date will be back at any moment and I don't need you having a breakdown in front of her, she deserves better than that' she advised and handed him the form Lucas had given her the previous week.

Matt opened the piece of paper and his mouth dropped open when he read it. 'A custody agreement...' he started.

'Givin' you soul custody of that little girl Doc', don't screw it up' Lucas interrupted, as he sat down on the other side of Gail and placed his arm possessively over her shoulders.

Matt stared at Gail with wide eyes, then handed Lucas the agreement and shook his head. 'This was you, it must've been and I want no part of it' he stated and started to get up.

'This was me' Gail lied as she pulled him back down. 'I didn't want you to get overwhelmed so was waiting for the right moment to give this to you. Now calm the hell down and behave like an adult'

Matt searched Gail's eyes to see if she was telling the truth, as her behaviour had been a little off lately; however, he saw no hint of a lie. His heart was pounding at the realisation that Lucy had been signed over to him and he did not know how he should feel.

'You feel happy Harvard and show that pretty young date of yours a good time, before I do' Lucas ordered, then winked at Gail when Matt got up and headed towards Merlyn who was on her way back.

Gail waved at them as they left quickly and focused her attention on the pair at the other side of the table. 'I don't know how you got her to sign that form' she stated curiously, as she watched Billy laughing with Christie.

'I don't know how you knew she was in Wilmington' He said suspiciously and watched as a cunning smile came over her face.

'I'm bored Master Buck' she feigned innocence as she ignored the comment, then smiled when she caught a glimpse of mischief in his eyes.

'Well, we do have that big ol' house to ourselves...let's leave these pair to it and I'll show you how to have some real fun Buck style' he smiled wickedly, then got up and held out his hand expectantly.

Gail stared up at him curiously, obediently took his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the restaurant.

* * *

Selena awoke in the drivers seat of her car, while it was still dark outside. She remembered leaving the hospital and coming home to find the place empty; however, she did not recall going back out of her property. She got out of the car carefully and stretched, not appreciating the stiffness of her neck and started to walk back towards the front door.

When Selena entered she went straight to the refrigerator to pour herself a glass of juice, then she heard voices coming from her bedroom and froze. Selena liked to think she was a strong woman; however, after being hit by a car twice, her emotions were all over the place and she was on edge.

Selena walked towards the sound of laughter, subconsciously removing a knife from her kitchen drawer as she passed and wrapped her hand around the door handle carefully. She took a deep breath, hoping the voices were just a figment of her imagination and would disappear; however, they became louder and turned into panting, causing her to push open the door quickly.

She stood for a moment in shock, at the sight of Billy having sex with Christie in her bed. With the exception of Lucas Buck, men do not step out on her and this was too much. She was the mistress and she was the one who convinced married men to come home with her and cheat on their wives, this was wrong and she would not stand for it.

When her senses returned to her, she lunged at Christie with the knife and tried to slash her throat. Before she managed to get close, she felt herself being pulled back roughly and heard Billy's confused yell at the realisation of what she was doing.

'You see this Doc'? This is why you don't try and settle down with someone's crazy ex' Lucas advised smugly, ignoring Selena's attempt to try and break free of his grasp.

'Why do they always go for the girl instead of the cheating boyfriend?' Gail asked in disbelief, as she casually leaned against the bedroom door. Lucas had promised her an interesting end to the evening if she accompanied him on this late night wander and he had not disappointed.

Lucas laughed at Gail's aloof manner and shook his head. 'Punishment I guess, why kill a person when you can make them suffer...I'm assumin' you'll be stoppin' by my office in the mornin' Doc'?' he asked Billy calmly.

Billy stood naked staring at Selena in shock and did not know what to say.

'Make sure he does the right thing Christie' Gail ordered her friend who lay frozen with fright and left with Lucas to take Selena to the Station.

-To be continued-


	4. Chapter 4

Merlyn was awoken by a message alert on her mobile telephone, she stirred slightly at the beep then rolled back into Matt and closed her eyes again; however, when a loud knock came on the door, Matt jumped up and left her in the bed alone causing her to let out a small sigh.

Merlyn opened her eyes tiredly and smiled at the sun shining through the window, it appeared they had been too distracted last night to remember to close the curtains and the thought of what happened made her giddy. She sat up and gave a long stretch, wincing slightly at the pain she felt between her legs and then smiled at the realisation that she was not a woman. This was all new to her and she did not know what to expect; however, she would embrace every feeling that she experienced whether it be good or bad.

Matt came back into the room and closed the door, before sitting beside her on the bed and stroking her naked back. He had not meant to go so far last night; however, his desire took over and she had promised him not to stop no matter what. He had suspected that she had not been with anyone previously and that was confirmed last night, so he had been as gentle as he could and now he felt some shame for taking advantage of such a young girl.

Merlyn sensed his reservations and stroked his cheek tenderly, then pulled his face to hers and kissed his lips softly. 'You did nothin' wrong and I'm good' she reassured him, when he pulled away.

Matt inhaled deeply for a moment, then shook his head. 'You're so young...' he started.

'I'm 17, nearly 18 and I've seen more than you could ever know' she smiled.

Matt felt doubt begin to flow though him, until she stroked his chest and pulled him on top of her on the bed. Her body was so warm and it felt right whenever he was with her; therefore, he stroked her cheek and kissed her passionately, as he manoeuvred himself back under the covers with her.

As he moved between her legs, he suddenly remembered why they had been woken up and reached into his short pockets for the envelope he had just been given. 'A messenger brought this for you' he whispered, as he began kissing her neck softly.

Merlyn let out a low moan and tried to open the envelope quickly, so she could concentrate fully on Matt. When she read the note inside she tensed, causing Matt to cease his actions.

'What is it?' he asked concerned.

'Selena Coombs has been arrested for attempted murder and I'm covering the story' she said in disbelief, then rolled out of the bed to find her clothes.

'Wait, what?...Why wouldn't Gail be covering the story? And who the hell did Selena try to murder?' he asked as he sat up, concerned that it was Gail who she had attacked.'

Merlyn pulled on a long brown skirt and beige vest, then checked her mobile telephone. 'Conflict of interest' she reassured, showing him Gail's text from 4am which indicated she was fine and then headed out of the bedroom quickly, thankful Matt had made her get a shower to clean up last night.

* * *

Lucas slowly ran his fingers down Gail's naked body as she lay on her side, then kissed her back softly. He had barely slept after their antics of the previous day and her new questionable side excited him more than he had ever anticipated. When she did not immediately wake up, he moved her right leg forward to allow him access to her and slowly pushed his hard manhood inside of her.

Gail let out a pained moan at the unexpected entry, then relaxed as he pushed in and out of her gently. She had no guilt over what she had helped instigate last night; therefore, she accepted his gentleness as a change from the usual punishment she craved.

Lucas positioned her on all fours, careful to remain inside of her and gripped her hips tight. He thrust himself as far inside of her as he could go, then remained still there for a few moments. 'Sleep well soulmate?' he asked curiously, as he stroked her back affectionately.

'Better than I have in a long time Darling' she smiled and willed him to continue his movements.

Lucas sensed her desires and started up his thrusts again, this time harder. 'It appears you may have found the perfect past time to work off your excess energy' he suggested between pants.

'I'm not you, nor will I ever allow myself to become like you' she advised, as she gripped the bed posts tight in her hands.

'I'll let that one go, but answer me this. If you won't allow yourself to stoop to my level of being, what the hell was last night?' he asked, as he let out a loud moan.

Gail laughed and shook her head, 'That was me showing you the best way to deal with a woman...Taking away her comfort zone wont do, as you obviously originally planned...you have to shatter it'

'I'd have got there in the end, maybe I wanted to prolong the experience' Lucas advised, as he began to pound in and out of her harder.

'Or maybe you still have a soft spot for your little pet and want to keep her around, dependant on you' Gail suggested through moans.

Lucas pulled his manhood out of her abruptly, then turned her around onto her back and pushed himself back inside. 'I have all I need here Gail, especially with this newly discovered nature of yours' he reassured her and returned back to his slow movements, pausing every time he reached the furthest point within her.

'This newly discovered nature is not for your entertainment, so back off' she warned and scraped her nails down his bare back.

Lucas was about to comment further when he felt his orgasm rising within him. His movements remained slow and steady, as he wanted to savour this and he smiled when she called out his name as their climax came together.

Gail smiled at how he had tried to remain in control when he erupted inside of her, but he could not resist piercing her neck with his teeth. It was getting harder to hide the marks he gave her with it being the summer months; however, she would not begrudge him his form of release.

She allowed him to lay on her chest for a few minutes as they caught their breath, then pushed him off of her gently and headed for the shower.

'Where's the fire Darlin'?' he asked amused.

'You have a criminal to book and I have some children to locate, or had you forgotten about those?' she asked sweetly, then laughed and headed out of the room.

* * *

Selena sat in the dark dingy cell of the Sheriff's Station, waiting for Lucas to show himself. Upon reflection of her actions of the previous night, she probably should not have attacked a person with a knife while there were witnesses; however, it was too late for regrets now and she had fallen right into his trap.

'As if you regret anything in life' Gail stated knowingly, as she approached the cell casually.

'Oh, you're tag teaming me now? I expected the boss to show up, not his secretary' Selena goaded, then stood up and limped towards the cell door.

'He doesn't know I'm here and doesn't need to. We're just two women having a casual conversation after attempting to stab the same woman' Gail shrugged.

Selena froze for a moment at the confession she had just heard and did not know what to make of it. She had noticed a harsh change in Gail weeks ago, as her nemesis did not appear as pure and innocent as she used to. She supposed openly giving your soul to the devil in marriage would do that to a person and she did not know whether she felt sorry for her, or was jealous.

'Definitely the latter' Gail laughed, 'Although the way I am has nothing to do with Lucas, I doubt you can say the same'

Selena let out a long sigh and ran her fingers through her unusually greasy hair, which had not been washed for over two days. 'That man made me a lot of things, I was a god fearing Preachers daughter before I met him'

'Do you regret any of it?' Gail asked, curious as to whether this time to reflect would soften the woman before her.

Selena thought for a moment and shrugged, this was the only person who had actively made a conversation with her in nearly two days so why not open up to her. 'Regret's are for pussy's' she stated cattily.

'Wow, that language from a Teacher? How long have you waited to unleash that?' Gail smiled, happy to finally witness her true side.

'Longer than you could possibly imagine' Selena laughed, then turned serious. 'What are you doing here Gail?'

Gail started to pace up and down the cells, staring at the dull walls curiously. She continued this was for a few minutes, then turned her full attention back to Selena. 'M's going to request an exclusive interview in about 5 minutes. You're going to accept, like a good girl and detail your accident vividly for her' she stated bluntly.

'And why would I do that?' Selena asked suspiciously.

'Because I'm the only one who has actively talked to you in two days and even your so called boyfriend didn't bother with you when he hit you with his car' Gail advised frankly.

Selena thought for a moment of her prediciment, then nodded. 'What are you going to do?'

'Pick up my children and be the dutiful wife' Gail smiled sweetly, then shot her a wink before leaving the cells.

* * *

Lucas sat with Billy at his favourite Diner, waiting for his omelette to be served. Billy was still in a daze after the incident of the previous night; however, Lucas felt fresh as a daisy after his night and morning activities.

He had dozed off right after Gail had left him to have a shower and he had no idea what time she left the house. It was evident that he had required the extra rest and he was now ready to continue on with his game, hell he was looking forward to it.

'How can you eat at a time like this?' Billy asked in disgust, when the waitress brought a large omelette with a side of pancakes for his friend.

Lucas shrugged and squirted maple syrup on his pancakes. 'A grown man's gotta eat...Besides, it wasn't my beloved who tried to murder a girl last night in cold blood' he smiled devilishly, then started to cut into his omelette.

Billy's head was still hazy with all the alcohol he had drank and the lack of sleep he had gotten. He had not meant to cheat on Selena, he just felt a connection with Christie and had been surprised at her return. With all that he had to drink, his actions seemed like a good idea at the time and he had never anticipated Selena checking herself out of the hospital.

'Women are crazy Billy-boy and that one is more non compos mentis than the rest' Lucas laughed and started devouring his breakfast.

Billy shook his head in disbelief of the situation, then slammed his hand hard on the table in frustration. 'What the hell am I supposed to do here man? I cheated on her and I can't just testify against her after that. This was my fault!'

'Did you give her the knife? Or force her to attack Christie?' Lucas asked calmly and hid his amusement. 'If I would've been willing, Selena would've cheated on you a long time ago...So you got sick of the crazy and wanted a reprieve, you're only human. The girl ran in front of your car for God's sake'

Billy nodded in agreement, what Lucas was saying seemed logical and he had been getting tired of certain aspects of their relationship. Selena was amazing in a lot of things; however, there was a side of her that craved constant attention and reassurance, it could get tiring and at times he felt exhausted. 'Maybe you're right, so what now?' he asked, open for any guidance that came his way.

'You eat your breakfast and I'll take care of the rest friend' Lucas reassured him in a trusting tone, as the waitress came over with a fresh stack of pancakes for Billy.

* * *

Merlyn entered Gail's office in the Trinity Guardian and placed down her tape recorder on the desk. She had not expected Selena to be so accepting of her request for an interview and the woman had been more than forthcoming, giving her plenty of details to run with about her accident.

She had called Gail straight away after she had finished with Selena, offering to provide her with the details of the interview to enable her to write the article; however, Gail advised that this was her rodeo and she needed to learn how to stand on her own two feet sometime.

Gail had insisted that Merlyn write this article for a lunch time edition of the newspaper and would not change her mind. She agreed to proof read the story and provide any support that may be needed; however, her cousin made it clear that her name was to be nowhere near this article and this was all about Merlyn taking a step forward with her life.

Although this was an amazing opportunity and she did not want to let Gail down, Merlyn's nerves began to get the better of her and her mind started to wander in an attempt to calm her down. She smiled when she thought of how tender Matt was with her last night and how she had finally experienced something truly real. She remembered the feel of his fingers on her skin and the pleasure she felt when their bodies merged, Matt truly was perfect and she was thankful to have him in her life after everything that had happened to her.

A buzz from her mobile telephone caught her attention and she shook the thoughts of last night out of her mind, when this new text from Gail reminded her that she had a deadline of 2 hours to complete this task. Merlyn took a deep breath, turned on the computer and waited patiently to start writing her first official article.

-To be continued-


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas entered the Sheriff's Station just after midday and whistled happily as he strolled through the main reception. Today was going to be a good day and he did not want to rush the task of booking Selena, as he wanted her to stew in her own self loathing a little while longer.

Ben glanced at Floyd expectantly; however, the man just put his head down nervously and tried to busy himself. Ben had been waiting for Lucas to show up all morning to find out what was going on and now that the Trinity Guardian had delivered a late print, the news was out for all the read. 'Lucas' he called, trying to keep his composure.

Lucas sensed the discomfort in the room and approached the front desk. 'Everythin' alright Deputy? Don't tell me you're havin' problems with the Mrs so soon after you spent quality time together yesterday?' he asked sarcastically.

Ben shifted on the spot for a moment and then stood tall, remembering this was nothing to do with him as he was not on shift early this morning. 'Have you checked the Guardian?'

Lucas narrowed his eyes at his friend and leaned against the counter. 'I've had more pressing activities to attend to than readin' Ben, what's my wife gotten herself into now?' he asked flatly, feeling his good mood start to falter.

'It ain't Gail it's Merl..' Ben started, then remembered Floyd was close by. '..It's M and you really wanna read this'

Lucas took the newspaper that Ben offered him and glanced at the front cover curiously. The headline read: 'School Teacher arrested after concussion caused erratic behaviour' and Lucas let out an exasperated breath. 'Who was stupid enough to allow a member of the press in to see our prisoner this morning?' he asked around the room angrily.

All heads looked in different directions and only Ben had to confidence to look directly at Lucas. 'I think Johnny was on shift this mornin', but he wouldn't have known who she was. She's just a young girl'

'A young girl that's published enough to provide a jury with probable cause, well done fella's' Lucas said bluntly as he attempted to control his rage at the family he had married in to, then headed towards his office and slammed the door closed.

* * *

Merlyn strolled with Gail in the park, as they pushed Luke and Lucy in their buggies. She had been nervous about her article being published, with how much she had accused the hospital of a failure in their duty of care; however, now that it was out there for all to read, she felt a strange feeling of empowerment. Now that the challenge had been completed, she could focus on having a relaxing day with her family and fully ponder over the happenings of the previous night with Matt.

'You look different, is there anything you want to tell me?' Gail asked amused, as she nodded pleasantries at the townspeople they passed.

Merlyn took a sharp intake of breath, then giggled when Gail shot her a knowing smile. 'Do I have to say it?' she asked timidly.

Gail let out a long sigh and shook her head. 'I don't need to know the grisly details, just whether he hurt you and if you're OK?' she asked concerned about her cousin.

'He was fine and I'm OK' Merlyn smiled uncontrollably.

'Just fine? Maybe he needs some tips from Lucas to remind him of how it should go' Gail suggested mockingly.

Merlyn's mouth dropped open at the unexpected comment and they both laughed. 'Well I don't think I'm quite ready for the Buck treatment' she giggled, 'Let's just say it was what I wanted and he was amazing'

Gail reached over and hugged her cousin lovingly, this girl really had come a long way considering the hand she had initially been dealt with in life. 'Well good, as long as he remembered where to put it then that's fine' she joked, knowing better than to scold a teenager and then stared at the path ahead of them.

'You wanted me to give Selena a defence didn't you? That's why you didn't want to be associated with the article?' Merlyn asked, after a moment of silence.

'There's no love lost between me and that woman, but I think she's had enough bad luck for now. The pawn needs a chance to recover, otherwise the game isn't fair' Gail shrugged, suspecting Merlyn understood more than she let on.

Merlyn regarded her cousin curiously and decided to stop shying away from her. They were family and it was about time that they got back to being straight with each other. 'You know what you did at the wedding, that's why you've changed isn't it?' she asked, as she took hold of her cousins arm to prevent her from walking away.

Gail looked down at the hand gripping her arm and felt the heat begin to rise within her, then took a deep breath and pushed down the anger before it had time to properly form. 'I know what I did and I'm dealing with it' she answered honestly. 'What more do you want from me?'

'I want you to get out of that house until you figure out what's going on with you. Being there with him is not going to help, it's going to damn you' Merlyn warned, concerned for her cousin.

'He's the only person that's trying to correct my mistakes, you really don't want me to push him away right now' Gail advised, choosing to keep her cards hidden. 'This doesn't concern you and I don't want you dwelling on it. Christie's fine for now, you saw her last night and Matt now has custody of Lucy...Everything will revert back to how it should be, so just relax'

Merlyn could see the warning in her cousins eyes and did not want to be the reason she lost control; therefore, she just took a deep breath and squeezed her arm affectionately, ignoring the niggling feeling at the back of her mind that something was wrong with the statement she had made. 'Alright, well let's get back to my first time...I have no idea where I'm supposed to go from here!' she forced a laugh and they continued to walk through the park, talking as though they'd known each other forever.

* * *

Lucas paced his garden impatiently, waiting for his family to return home. After he had read the article fully, he decided to release Selena without charging her and his mood had gone down hill from there.

He was initially going to confront Merlyn Ann for her blatant disrespect for him, then he realised that she would not have taken this bold action on her own merit. Merlyn was as strong willed and intelligent as the best women he knew; however, she lacked the confidence to act these days without the authority of someone that she trusted. Matt Crower had her trust but he knew better than to get involved in something like this, that just left his beloved and that meant she had played him.

Lucas could forgive a lot in his wife, double murder, constant doubts, insults about his genuine intentions; however, being played was not something he took lightly, especially when he had allowed her into his game in the first place. This was partly his fault, he had believed Gail had truly wanted to help him with the punishment of Selena and had trusted her to steer the pawns in a certain way. He would not make that mistake again and he would not tolerate this defiance.

He stopped pacing when he heard the loud raw of the Mustangs engine and waited patiently for his family to appear. Caleb ran out of the car towards him ready to tell him about his day; however, Lucas signalled for him to take Luke inside and give him a few moments with his Step Mother.

Lucas spotted Gail glance over her shoulder, when she was getting Luke out of the car and knew she sensed what was coming. He nodded appreciatively when she handed Luke to Caleb without hesitation and she gave Caleb a reassuring smile, to show the boy she was not concerned about anything. At any other time, her consideration of keeping their disagreement away from his children would have melted away his anger; however, the rage that he had felt all day would not be tamed by such a small act.

'So what size act is required sweetheart?' Gail asked sarcastically, as she approached him and began to walk casually around the garden inspecting the plants.

Lucas inhaled deeply, in an attempt to remain in control. He was not bothering to shield his thoughts, he wanted her to understand how furious he was.

'And I do understand...So, are we going to have this one sided conversation all night, or are you going to speak to me properly husband?' she asked casually, not rising to his intimidation methods.

'I thought you were with me...' he started.

'I am' she interjected honestly, not wanting his doubt of her loyalty to continue to fester.

'When did you see her?' he asked, changing his tactics.

'This morning before I got the children, is it a crime to visit a person these days?' she asked, feigning innocence.

Lucas started to pace around the garden, retracing her steps. Every plant she touched, he glared at and they began to dry up. 'What did you two discuss?'

Gail glanced over her shoulder and noticed the withering plants and clasped her hands in front of her chest as she continued walking around the garden slowly. 'The weather, pillow fights, boys...the usual girl things' she answered amused.

Lucas could feel his rage rising and it was directed solely at her. He had never felt this angry since the day Judith had threatened to take his new born baby away and expose him, this was not safe territory.

'Is that my fate? The same as Saint Judy?' she asked, mocking the title. 'I suppose there's worse ways to go. Although if you're taking suggestions I'd rather you dispose of me in the river, that'd be a fitting end. Almost poetic given our past history'

Lucas did not like her talking that way; therefore, he quickened his pace and gripped her arm tight. 'You want me to kill you, is that it?' he asked angrily.

'I don't believe I do, but if you are putting me in the same category as Judith then it's inevitable is it not?' she asked curiously and stared deep into his eyes.

'You think I killed her?' Lucas asked, intrigued by her ability to surprise him into changing the topic of conversation.

'You told me you didn't the first time this came up, care to revise your answer soulmate?' she smiled knowingly.

'You were fragile then' he shrugged.

'And now I'm not, so Judith and Merlyn Ann Temple...' she started accusingly.

'Go on, say it. You haven't got the balls to ask Darlin'' Lucas interrupted, amused. 'You don't wanna know and there's no shame in that. Why would you want your world to be shattered?'

Gail stared at him defiantly, feeling her own rage coming to the surface. She was aware that she had avoided these questions previously and the subject coming up after she had committed herself to this man under God, for better or for worse, was not ideal; however, he had blatantly challenged her and she was still the same old Gail who would not back down from a challenge, it was not in her nature. 'Judith Temple...you raped her and killed her, correct?' she asked without hesitation.

'Correct' Lucas replied and watched as she did not react.

'And Merlyn Ann Temple?'

'Did I rape her?' he laughed mockingly.

'Did you kill her?' she asked seriously.

Lucas paused for a moment, truly not expecting her to go this far. She had hurt him more than he wanted to admit by getting Selena out of his trap, he had opened up the podium for this line of questioning to punish her, knowing she was bound to him for life; therefore, there was no reason to keep up the charade that had been ongoing since he had met her. 'For the record, I wanna point out that I've never lied to you about that girl' he advised, knowing she would not drop this.

'Did you kill her?' Gail repeated the question, with no emotion.

'Yes' he answered honestly and stared deep into her eyes observantly, to gauge her true reaction.

Gail stared back at him unfazed and remained silent for a few minutes. When it was evident that he was remaining as unmoved as she was, she just smiled. 'For better or for worse?' she whispered.

'For better or for worse' Lucas repeated, then let out a pained moan when her knee came up to his crotch hard and the wind was knocked out of him.

Gail could feel her rage clawing to be released at the revelation she had suspected for so long; however, she pushed deep down. She had asked Merlyn on numerous occasions if there was something she had wanted to tell her and the girl had just shrugged off her concern, allowing her to marry into this hell. What was she even doing here? Trying to be the prim and proper example that her Mother outwardly was? Her whole family was damaged and there was no escaping the curse that was their lives.

Unable to control it any longer, Gail succumbed to her rage and let it flow freely through her veins. The urges that she had been blocking for over a week took over and visions flooded through her mind of her friends laying dead on the ground in a multitude of different ways. She inhaled deeply and the images to sooth her, not dwelling on what that might actually mean. She had pushed down what she thought to be wrong her entire life and now she fully accepted it all.

Lucas sensed the full change come over her and got to his feet. His twin was clawing to be released, to meet with her darkness; however, he kept him caged so he could experience her change without any interference. 'You feel that right? The power flowing through your veins. How does it make you feel?' he asked curiously, remembering his first full acceptance of what he was.

Gail disregarded his question and just closed her eyes, then embraced her darkness. Pictures continued to flow through her mind until they stopped on one image and it caused her to smile. 'You want to know how I knew Christie's location?' she asked sweetly, quickly closing her mind off to him.

'Yes I do' Lucas answered, wondering how long she knew that question was bothering him.

'Because you have a weakness' she advised, as she closed the distance between them and ran her fingers down his chest.

'And what would that be?' he asked suspiciously, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Gail laughed and licked her lips. 'I really do love you' she whispered honestly and gazed into his eyes lovingly.

Lucas was taken aback by the ease in which the statement was delivered. It was the first time that she had ever admitted her true feelings to him and for once he was unsure of what his next move should be.

'You're mad because of Selena, I appreciate that' she acknowledged, continuing to stroke his chest and allowing him to hold her. 'You want to know why I interfered?'

Lucas continued to stare into her dark eyes and caught a glimpse of her true self, his twin clawed harder to be released when he spotted the malice in those eyes. 'It was not your place to interfere' he scolded 'So yes, I wanna know why'

Gail kissed his lips softly, then smiled grimly. 'What better way to distract an animal than dangle his food under his nose' she laughed, amused at the situation.

Lucas stopped stroking her back, then gripped her hips tight and pushed her to arms length roughly. 'What does that mean Gail? What have you been up to?' he asked seriously, trying to insert his dominance.

'I haven't been up to anything my love, I've been right here with you the whole time' she stated sweetly, then released the barriers blocking her thoughts and smiled viciously when the realisation set in with him.

Lucas released his twin as soon as her mind became unguarded and let go of her hips when the previously blocked images flowed through his minds. Without another word, he started to back away from her and turned towards his car in the driveway.

Gail watched as he shook his head disapprovingly at her and started to rush out of the garden. 'Good luck cleaning up my mess this time Master Buck' she called at him amused, then turned around and went towards the house to see to the children.

* * *

Lucas got part way down the road in his car, when he decided there was no time for traffic. He closed his eyes and called upon his twin again, when he opened his eyes he was outside Selena's house in front of the open door leading to the kitchen. He took a deep breath to push down his rage and entered the property, not fully sure what he was going to find.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw blood stained paw prints leading from the bedroom through to the kitchen and out into the world. He was annoyed at his own stupidity and walked up to the open bedroom door cautiously, then let out a long sigh when he peered into the room.

'This behaviour just won't do' he said to himself, as he shook his head at Billy Peele's dead body laying next to Christie's lifeless body on the bed.

He moved closer to examine the bodies, even though he knew instantly from the paw marks what had happened. Both bodies had bite marks and torn pieces of flesh from their necks, this had Gideon written all over it and if he was not so pissed at being manipulated, he would have been impressed by Gail's tactics.

Lucas looked down at his friend in irritation, he had actually became fond of Billy-boy and the man did not deserve to go out like this. As if in agreement with him, a strong gust of wind blew through the room and Billy began coughing up blood. Suddenly the telephone began to ring and Lucas stared at it suspiciously, 'You just hang on their fella, I'll be right with you' he said to Billy's injured body casually and picked up the telephone on the bedside cabinet.

After a minute of silence, he heard a small sigh. 'Dinner will be served in 20, don't be long sweetheart and make sure your friend get's plenty of fluids' Gail advised sweetly, then hung up the telephone.

Lucas let out a small laugh and shook his head in disbelief. He called an ambulance for Billy, explaining there had been a freak animal attack and carried Christie's body to his car. He would not be beaten by the powers that were on Gail's side and he would decide the fate of this Christie, no-one else.

Now he just had to figure out how to deal with his new bride and her blatant disregard for his rules.

-The End-


End file.
